


Hindsight

by Leonawriter



Series: FF7 minifics [9]
Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Gen, Inspired by a writing prompt on tumblr, Mid-Canon, Missing Scene
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-01
Updated: 2018-06-01
Packaged: 2019-05-16 22:32:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 602
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14820146
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Leonawriter/pseuds/Leonawriter
Summary: Given a moment more outside of Banora, Genesis asks why Zack would do such things for him. Zack admits that hating people isn't really his thing.





	Hindsight

"... _Why_."

Zack sighed, and sat himself down on the grass, palms flat against the ground and leaning back so that he had a good view of the sky as the last bits of blue disappeared and gave way to the black sky filled with stars that you couldn't see from even the top of the tallest building in Midgar, with the way the smoke and fumes and lights drowned out everything else even above plate. 

Aerith would probably love this sky too, he thought.

"Because... I don't hate you, I guess." Although it was sometimes hard - like when he remembered how much Genesis had done, what he had caused, the effect he'd had on people Zack  _cared about_. But all in all, it was the truth. "That's my thing. I don't really... hate anyone." He glanced over at the others - what used to be Genesis, Cloud, and Lazard now being just Genesis and Cloud. It still hurt, knowing that now there really wasn't  _anything_  of Angeal left. The apple lay untouched in Cloud's lap, too. "Except maybe Hojo. I think I can spare a bit of hate for  _him."_

And Hollander, too, although that was significantly more on the scale of 'disgust and pity' than actual  _hate._

"I... did so many things. Awful things. I've hurt. So many people. No wonder Angeal... left."

It was easier just to look away, at that. Neither of them could deny that it was  _true,_ after all.

But... still.

"You were scared," Zack said, slowly. "Weren't you? I mean... I think, we all were. And Hollander didn't exactly  _help_ , with the way he kept saying he could help when he never did anything for anyone other than himself ever." He shrugged awkwardly. "It's not like the rest of us did that much better, you know."

Sephiroth had... well, in a sense, Sephiroth had gone further than Genesis ever had. The sight of Cloud's home up in flames still haunted him, just like Tseng bombing Banora to get rid of 'evidence of Shinra's wrongdoing' still did.

Angeal... when he thought back on it, there were so many times Zack could think of that had been clues as to what Angeal had been planning, and Zack had been so sure he never would that it hadn't even occurred to him to think about it like that. 

And then there was him, and the way he'd seen everything happen, and the number of times he'd either put his foot in his mouth with the wrong thing at the wrong time, or said absolutely nothing at just the exact time when he should have said  _something_. 

Kunsel had once told him that hindsight was perfect, but it hit a lot harder when you were talking about how fucked up life had gone compared to how he'd messed up a simple training exam.

"Angeal... he once told me, that it doesn't matter how good you are at figuring out what you've done wrong, if you can't fix those mistakes for the next time. Figures that I never was all that good at it, back then."

Genesis huffed, and it took a moment for Zack to realise the guy was  _laughing._

"He really wasn't wrong," Genesis said, still breathless and exhausted but with a fond smile on his face that was somewhere between amusement and melancholy. "You truly are just like a puppy, Zack."

"Hey!"

"Full of restless energy and loyal to a fault." He closed his eyes, long enough for Zack to wonder if he was giving in and going back to sleep. "Though perhaps that isn't such a bad thing."

**Author's Note:**

> [Inspired by this post](https://leonawriter.tumblr.com/post/174466134864/corvidprompts-i-dont-hate-you-says-the).
> 
> Like a friend said, it has strong Crisis Core vibes.


End file.
